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Photo by NASA Johnson. 257 miles above the Gulf of Mexico, an external camera on the International Space Station captured this image of Hurricane Milton, a Category 5 storm packing winds of 175 miles an hour at the time of this photograph, and its well-defined eye.
11 Oct 2024

Hurricane Milton 2024 killed at least 16 people in Florida - but the storm turned out less severe than many feared

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UPDATED OCTOBER 11: 

Hurricane Milton not as destructive as feared - still at least 16 dead

Milton made landfall as a Category 3 hurricane on Wednesday night, causing significant damage and disrupting essential services. So far, hundreds of residents have been rescued from affected areas.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center, in its final advisory, has lifted all warnings associated with the storm.

USA Today reports: Milton triggered a devastating tornado outbreak that claimed at least six lives in St. Lucie County on Florida’s east coast. 

Crews from the National Weather Service are set to assess the damage on Friday and determine the exact number of tornadoes that touched down. Statewide, Milton has been linked to at least 16 deaths so far, adding to the storm's toll as rescue efforts and damage assessments continue.

 

Key Updates:

  • 7:45 p.m. EDT: FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell reported that Milton's overall destruction was less severe than initially feared. However, tornadoes spawned by the storm caused considerable damage, including 38 twisters across Florida. Criswell noted, 
  • "We did not experience the extreme worst-case scenario, but there are still many people who have been deeply affected." She highlighted that much of the debris came from earlier Hurricane Helene.
  • 6:45 p.m. EDT: The National Hurricane Center announced that all storm warnings for Milton, now downgraded to a post-tropical cyclone, have been discontinued. As of 5 p.m. Thursday, Milton was positioned about 220 miles northeast of Great Abaco Island, moving eastward at 21 mph, with winds sustained at 70 mph and gradually weakening.

 

 

Millions ordered to evacuate from Hurricane Milton -  Emergency services warns  those staying behind they may not be rescued

Original post from October 9:

Hurricane Milton has now once again been re-classified as a Category 5 and may become the most destructive for the US in a hundred years. About 6 million people have been ordered to evacuate from Florida's west coast. 

 

THIS IS AN EVOLVING STORY WHICH WILL BE UPDATED

 

Photo Credit: Photo by NASA Johnson. 257 miles above the Gulf of Mexico, an external camera on the International Space Station captured this image of Hurricane Milton, a Category 5 storm packing winds of 175 miles an hour at the time of this photograph, and its well-defined eye.

 

Only a week or so since Hurricane Helene ravaged southeastern United States, another deadly storm, Hurricane Milton, is heading for Florida. 

Some believe this will be such a powerful storm that the classic storm designation scale will need to have another category added. 

Evacuation orders have been issued for communities along Florida's west coast. Nearly 6 million people live there, according to the news agency AP.

Further north along the coast, roads have been clogged with people trying to escape by car. 

Milton was downgraded from a Category 5 to a Category 4 hurricane on Monday night, local time. The hurricane was then upgraded back to a Category 5 hurricane.

On Wednesday morning, local time, the hurricane began approaching Florida. The hurricane is expected to hit full force on Wednesday evening, according to CNN.

Earlier reports indicated that the Tampa Bay metropolitan area would be the hardest hit by Milton, but that has now changed. According to CNN's meteorologist, the hurricane appears to just miss the area, which is still expected to experience record-high water levels.

Only a week or so ago, Hurricane Helene killed almost 200 people. Authorities are warning that also this hurricane could be life-threatening. 

Some are choosing to defy the evacuation order and instead barricade themselves in their home with food and water. Emergency services have cautioned that no one should expect to be rescued once the storm has made landfall.

The Independent.uk write today that federal and state authorities have urged residents in Milton's path to evacuate, warning of "catastrophic" winds, up to 18 inches of rainfall, and storm surges reaching 15 feet before the powerful hurricane strikes Florida's west-central coast.

“This is the 11th hour. If you’re in an evacuation zone, the time to get out is now,” Hillsborough County Sheriff Chard Chronister told CNN on Wednesday.

 

Could Milton become a "Category 6" hurricane?

In recent years, storms have been intensifying at a much faster rate, leading some scientists to call for a new classification — a Category 6 — to address the growing number of extremely powerful hurricanes linked to the climate crisis.

For over 50 years, the National Hurricane Center has relied on the Saffir-Simpson Wind Scale to convey the dangers of tropical storms by categorizing them according to wind speeds:

  • Category 1: 74-95 mph
  • Category 2: 96-110 mph
  • Category 3: 111-129 mph
  • Category 4: 130-156 mph
  • Category 5: 157 mph and above

The final category, Category 5, is considered "open-ended", meaning any storm with wind speeds exceeding 157 mph falls into this group. However, in recent years, multiple storms have been pushing those limits even higher, raising concerns about the need for a more specific classification for these increasingly extreme events.

In a study published earlier this year, researchers said that increasingly intense hurricanes, fuelled by warming ocean waters, could warrant a Category 6, reserved for storms with sustained winds over 192 mph.